14th September 2014 - Press Release

Port of Dover Exercise

The major live multi-agency exercise has successfully concluded. The Port re-opened at 0435hrs on Sunday 14th September 2014.

The exercise is the third and final part of a series of pre-planned exercises designed to ensure that the Port and its partners are best placed to deal with a variety of emergency situations.

Due to the nature of the exercise, the Port (Eastern Docks) will be closed between midnight and 5am. Some mock explosions or sounds of gunfire (using blank rounds) may be heard and the Port and Kent Police would like to reassure everyone, particularly the local community and Port customers, that this is part of the exercise and is therefore not something to cause alarm.

Tim Waggott: Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said: "Such exercises, which we conduct from time to time with our partners, are extremely important in ensuring that we proactively prepare for any eventuality. As Europe's busiest ferry port, it is vital that we keep the safety and security of all those who work in and travel through the Port at the forefront of our operations."

Superintendent Andrea Bishop, Kent Police, said: "Dover is the gateway to the UK and Europe and one of the world's busiest ports. Consequently, it's of huge strategic importance. Keeping the port safe and secure for the millions of people who travel through it or work there is a priority for us and our partners. Kent Police has the expertise and resources to ensure that people can go about their business safely but it's important that we periodically put those to the test. Such exercises are vital to make sure that we can effectively and professionally deal with potential incidents in the best way possible."

The Port, Kent Police and all of the emergency organisations involved would like to thank the media, the local community and the Port's customers for their understanding and patience whilst such an exercise is conducted.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MEDIA:

The exercise will involve the testing of tactics for dealing with a major emergency situation. It is extremely important that such tactics and their success for any potential real life situation in the future are not compromised by any footage of the exercise being taken and/or released either via mainstream or social media outlets.

This will therefore be a closed exercise and no-one will be given access to the Port in order to film and no-one will be available for interview. All media are therefore kindly requested to refrain from trying to gain access but are encouraged to advise their audiences that this is an exercise i.e. to reassure that this is a positive action by those involved to be prepared for major emergencies and is nothing that should cause panic or alarm.